Ciara Parizek/MDN Janice Sweeney, front, and Taylor Huber, back, put novels on the shelves to be delivered to other towns on the Bookmobile on Thursday.

Both Minot Public Library and Ward County Public Library are opening to patrons next week – with some restrictions.

Minot Public Library will be opening on Monday. Their hours are changing and will only be open four days a week. On Mondays, Tuesday and Fridays, their hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Saturdays, their hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The first hour of each day is reserved for people who are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus. Patrons under the age of 16 are welcome from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., but they must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Library Director Janet Anderson said they “will basically be a grab and go library.” She explained her reasoning for amended hours and new procedures. “We can’t wait to see our patrons again, but we also care about their health, so we ask everyone to plan their visits to be as quick and safe as possible.”

Public seating, newspapers, meeting rooms, Makerspace items and in-person programming will not be available until further notice. Donations to the Minot Public Library will not be accepted at this time. Home delivery and interlibrary loan services will be available, but only on a case-by-case basis.

Two computers will be available for 30-minute sessions and must be booked by appointment prior to use. To reserve a computer, call 852-1045. Information about scanning, printing and faxing is available by calling 852-1045 or sending an email to minottecht@gmail.com.

Members of the library staff will be deep cleaning before and during the afternoon and evening hours. Only 50 people will be allowed in the building until further notice. Library staff also ask patrons to be mindful of social distancing and to consider wearing a mask.

To ensure that people visit the library only if they feel it is safe, those who have rented items that were due on March 15 and later will not accrue any overdue fees until the library opens to its normal hours.

“The library has implemented many changes since COVID-19 came to North Dakota,” Adult Services Librarian Zhaina Moya said. “We have been sanitizing all of the items that are returned by patrons after a quarantine period.”

The Ward County Public Library is set to open on Thursday, also having temporary hours of Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Kerri Boetcher, the Library Administrator, said curbside will still be available for those who are not comfortable entering the building quite yet. To check out material for curbside pickup, call 852-5388.

Those who do enter the establishment will have only an hour to find what they need, and to start with, only 10 people will be allowed to be there at a time. Masks will be available to be worn inside the library but are not required.

Four computers will be available for business only. They may not be used for YouTube or games until further notice.

Children under the age of 12 can enter but they must be with an adult.

So far, all programming, including the summer reading program, will be conducted virtually on the Ward County Public Library’s Facebook page. The meeting room and book sale room are closed for the time being.

The Bookmobile is still operating on its normal summer schedule. However, there have been some changes. A dropbox will be available to return books. Patrons will not be allowed to go into the Bookmobile to find their next book. They will have to tell them which one they want and have it handed to them through the window.

The apps Overdrive/Libby and RBDigital will still be functional to checkout e-books.

To checkout books from the Ward County Public Library’s Kenmare branch, call 385-4090.

Not everyone has easy access to the books they want to read. Even with restricted hours, the libraries reopening will give children, teens and adults alike the chance to dive into a good book.